Hot, steamy and now downloadable: Aural sex shimmies into the podcast as 'podnography' trend takes off

Daniel King, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published 4:00 am, Thursday, August 11, 2005

Image 1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

Also known as "podnography," sexcasts are audio clips that anyone can record by using a computer. Chronicle illustration by Matt Petty

Also known as "podnography," sexcasts are audio clips that anyone can record by using a computer. Chronicle illustration by Matt Petty

Hot, steamy and now downloadable: Aural sex shimmies into the podcast as 'podnography' trend takes off

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

It didn't take long for sex to rear its heavy-breathing head in the nascent world of podcasting. Now, in addition to free audio shows on music, politics and sports available for downloading onto your handy-dandy MP3 players, you can access old-fashioned -- or not so old-fashioned -- sexcasts as well, for repeated aural pleasure.

"Is it surprising? Absolutely not. It's inevitable," says Mike McGuire, a technology analyst at GartnerG2 in San Jose. Anytime a new technology emerges, he says, sex quickly gets in on the action.

Also known as "podnography," sexcasts are audio clips that anyone can record by using a computer. To listen, visit any number of free Web sites, including www.podcastdirectory.com and www.podcastalley.com. You can download the files onto your MP3 player, cell phone or computer, and listen as often as you'd like. Along with shows on music and politics, you can now hear porn reviews, kinky storytelling sessions and interviews with porn writers. Each episode lasts from 2 to 30 minutes and features one or two speakers in sometimes steamy dialogue.

A recent Google search for the phrase "adult podcast" showed 6,850 results. Compare that to the category "rock podcast," which had only 3,890. In one sexcast -- available at www.podcastdirectory.com -- a San Francisco man describes a lurid rendezvous with a "gorgeous" woman he meets on Craigslist. He calls it "The Trist from Craigslist," spelling "tryst" with an "i".

Right Now: Prince William and Kate Middleton Attend St. Patrick's Day Parade in West LondonInStyle

Jewelry designer Martin Katz's path to fameAssociated Press

Spoiler Alert: Sean Bean doesn't die in latest roleAssociated Press

To begin, he sets the scene. "I went ahead and met her at a coffee shop," he says. His voice is matter-of-fact and sedated. "I could see her -- uh, the little points of her nipples poking through her red T-shirt."

From there, they walk to her place and close the door. "It was a little awkward," he says. "She got us a couple of glasses of wine, and we're sitting there drinking." Then he stands up and plants a kiss. "And she kissed back -- a very, very eager kiss." His lips become dry, and quickly, his voice gains speed: "I started kissing her again ... sliding my tongue in her mouth."

At this point, we'll resort to the old-movie gimmick of crashing waves and setting suns. For the rest, go online.

"It's really a blast," says Susie Bright, another popular sexcaster and well-known author from Santa Cruz. "I get to say all the things I could never say on FCC-controlled radio."

Another big appeal of sexcasts, she says, is voyeurism, which sometimes is juicier than actual physical connection: "Some people like to eavesdrop, as if you're in a motel room and somebody's screwing in the next room."

Anonymity, too, is a big factor in sexcasts' popularity. Listeners' identities are hidden from podcasters. In fact, that's the major difference between sexcasts and pay-per-minute phone sex. With sexcasts, you don't have to sit up nights worrying that the phone-sex operator has caller ID and will sell your number to marketers or call you the following day and speak to your parents or significant other.

"The Internet," Bright says, "has become the great anonymous leveler."

At the same time, she says, sexcasters have built a well-connected community, and everyone's invited.

Another top sexcaster is Porno Jim Graham, who records from his apartment in New York City. Graham, 42, interviews porn makers and many of his close female friends, all to "encourage the industry to make better pornography," he says.

"It's good to have a following," says Gray Dancer, a popular sexcaster in Madison, Wis., who prefers not to disclose his given name. Gray Dancer, 36, serves up weekly bondage tips on his podcast, "Rope Weekly," available at www.graydancer.com. Since February, he says, his podcast has attracted more than 500 regular listeners.

On many episodes, he discusses roping techniques, including useful knots for tying your partner's legs, torso, butt and face. He also describes the "performance art" of Japanese shibari, a "decorative" practice centuries old that derives from hojojutsu, which originally was used for torture and humiliation in Japan. Gray Dancer offers plenty of safety tips, including methods for avoiding hurt feelings and nerve compression injury.

"Communication," he says on one podcast, is the path to compassion. But like many sexcasters, he makes no money doing it. "It's a labor of love."

In June, when Apple Computer Inc. launched its newest version of iTunes - - which includes an online music store -- Gray Dancer's podcasts were among those listed. "I was very concerned," he says, "because ('Rope Weekly') was not listed as 'explicit.' ... You know, it's frank discussion."

As he says, iTunes requires all podcasters to mark erotic content as "explicit." But, you might ask, what happens if a podcaster targets young ears? Perhaps a podcaster will name an episode "Harry PotterDoes Dallas." The kids would flock.

If a podcast "sounds explicit" but isn't labeled that way, Apple's staff will quickly mark it "explicit," said spokeswoman Natalie Kerris.

The new medium apparently has public support. After all, Violet Blue -- a top sexcaster -- has a hugely popular podcast that last month became iTunes' third-most downloaded podcast, well above ESPN's, the New York Times' and ex-MTV personality Adam Curry's.

The Bay Area's Violet Blue, according to Gray Dancer, is "the goddess of sex podcasting." On each installment, she reviews porn, laughs it up with guests in the sex-ed community, reads in a cool, salacious voice from erotic novels and sometimes tries "to be as indecent as possible," she says.

In one podcast from Duboce Park in San Francisco, she reads from an essay about her first on-set porn experience. Dogs, buses and birds can be heard in the background.

To hear excerpts from these shows, download
Daniel King
's podcast at sfgate.com/blogs/podcasts. Due to its sexual nature, this podcast may not be suitable for children.